Amazon Alexa to offer enhanced spiritual experience in KSA during the Holy Month

• Quran on screen will enable customers to read the surah and ayah that is being recited on Echo Show 8, and Echo Show 10 devices
• For each day of Ramadan, customers have now access to 30 featured Dua’a, eight stories about the Prophets and other spiritual events with Alexa
• To celebrate the occasion, Alexa now offers brand new activities such as Fawazeer Ramadan and other quizzes for friends and families  

Amazon Alexa is set to offer users a smarter, more spiritual, and more entertaining experience this Ramadan, adding new features during the Holy Month. With the update, Alexa responds to the overwhelming popularity of the spirituality domain, counting more than 85,000 requests for prayer times on average every 3 month. At the same time, other Alexa features, like quizzes and recipes, are also soaring. 

Ramadan recorded the strongest and highest volume of engagement for Alexa in KSA in 2022, with the average customer interacting with Alexa ten times a day. On the back of this success, Amazon Alexa continues to focus on hyper local customer interests, culture, and traditions during the Holy Month in 2023. The goal is to make people’s lives easier, simpler, and more integrated with an optimal smart home experience.

The spirituality features are steadily growing for Amazon Alexa in the Kingdom. Last year, Surat Al Baqara was the most requested surah by Alexa customers in KSA, followed by Al Kahf, Al Fatiha, Al Mulk, and Yasin. 

Maher Al-Mu'aiqly, Imam and preacher of the Grand Mosque of Mecca, Masjid al-Haram, was the most requested qari (a person who recites the Quran with the proper rules of recitation), followed by Yasir Al Dawsari, Islam Subhi, Mishary Alafasy, and Saad Al Ghamdi. Athkar, the daily Islamic remembrance, also became increasingly popular every quarter, highlighting Alexa’s role as a companion and advisor. 

Dr. Raf Fatani, Regional General Manager, Alexa, Amazon MENA said, “Ramadan is the most spiritual time of the year, and we are committed to creating meaningful experiences for Alexa customers in the Kingdom. We're excited to announce new features for the holy month, including the display of Quranic verses on demand on our Echo Show devices to help customers see the Aya on the screen as the Qar’e is reciting, or the athkar feature to help customers with their daily supplications. For us at Amazon it is always day 1 and we continue to improve and add new offerings as we grow in the region.”

Here are the top three features for the Holy Month on Amazon Alexa:

Quran on the screen

Customers can request Alexa to recite the Quran and also read the surah and ayah that is being recited on the device screens of the Echo Show 8, and Echo Show 10. 

Dua’a for Each Day of Ramadan

Amazon Alexa is launching new experiences to engage users throughout the Holy Month. Amazon Alexa offers the ability to access Dua’a for each day of Ramadan, as well as eight stories about the Prophets and other thematic spirituality events, such as “The Lantern”, “Coffee Cup”, and “Moon”, along with three Ramadan-themed stories. 

Ramadan with the family and Alexa

For families, Amazon Alexa is introducing activities such as Fawazeer Ramadan and introducing quizzes through the Quizzical tool. When using the Fawazeer Ramadan feature, customers can ask Alexa for a riddle. In response, Alexa says the riddle, waits, and then gives the answer. Customers can also tune into their local stations during the day of the month and live-stream Ramadan radio programs, including spiritual, cultural, and local news content. The Deed of the Day feature returns this year with new daily suggestions, as acts of kindness that users can practice every day. In addition, one of Amazon’s long-standing partners, Fatafeat, will offer video recipes for sohour and iftar on Echo Show devices.

With Amazon Alexa's top three Holy Month features, customers in the Kingdom can enjoy an educational experience and connect with their family, friends, and loved ones while making their daily spiritual practices and rituals easier and more accessible.